Scientists have found 45 planets that could be good places to look for alien life. The planets were chosen from more than 6,000 known worlds outside our solar system because they are rocky and may have water, which is one of the most important things needed for life.
Some may even have weather like Earth, with clouds, damp air and winds. Many of them are in the Goldilocks zone, where it is not too hot and not too cold, so water could stay on the surface instead of boiling away or freezing solid.
Scientists say a planet would also need an atmosphere, a steady climate and the right chemicals for life to survive. One of the most exciting planets is Proxima Centauri b, which is about the same size as Earth and circles the star closest to our Sun. It is about 4.2 light years away, which is more than 24 trillion miles from Earth, so people cannot visit it with today’s spacecraft.
For now, scientists must study these faraway planets using powerful telescopes. Researcher Abigail Bohl said her team compared the planets with worlds in our own solar system, using Earth as an example of a planet that can support life, while Venus and Mars cannot. Scientists hope this will help them work out which distant planets might really be able to support living things.
